Hwy 101 Bike Bridge Plan Unveiled

23Aug

It may look more like a flume ride than a bike bridge, but the City of Palo Alto has announced plans for a new bike bridge over Highway 101 near San Antonio Road. Even though it will take years to build, I’m excited.

The existing crossing near San Antonio Road is an underpass that is only open during the dry months, and this summer it was closed from June until last week due to a broken tidal gate. The underpass is a dark, dank, narrow sidewalk just inches above the swampy muck. Not my favorite crossing. Did you even know that this underpass existed?

The city considered many options, and I’m really happy that they chose a light, airy, safer bridge that has the bonus of being visible to everyone stuck in traffic on Highway 101. Plus, the new design won’t need those silly gates to slow people down. They may be handy for practicing switchback skills, but they’re no fun for people on bikes with trailers or on tandems, not to mention in wheelchairs. Look at how Dick’s Bike Taxi Service handled the gates when I got a ride to work last Friday.

Nearly 32,000 Americans die in car crashes annually. 80% of car crashes are PREVENTABLE. If the TOASTER was killing that many people we'd think it was ridiculous. We'd un-plug it and say, let's Fix The Toaster.